"I am writing to reassure the college community that SUNY Empire State College is a place where people who adhere to divergent ideologies and political beliefs, and who are from different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, gather in respectful and educational dialogue. And it will continue to be." ... MORE

Rizzo, who is completing her Bachelor of Art in The Arts, with a concentration in visual arts, is a fine artist specializing in acrylic and oil painting on canvas who owns and operates Maria Rizzo Art. ... MORE

The SUNY Empire State College 2016 Fall Academic Conference, “Inspiring Innovative Learning,” attracted more than 270 college faculty and professional staff, an all-time high level of participation for the annual event. ... MORE

The Pay It Forward Philanthropy Initiative at SUNY Empire State College is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging students, alumni, faculty and staff to seek imaginative ways to engage and give back to the college and the communities where they live, work, teach and learn ... MORE

Undergraduate and graduate students, including those learning entirely online, are encouraged to attend any or all mixers near to where they live and work, or near to where they happen to be at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 27, and/or Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. ... MORE

The SUNY Empire State College Office of Veteran and Military Education sponsored a family fun day for students and their families on July 23, at Darien Lake, an amusement and water park located about halfway between Batavia and Buffalo, just south of Interstate 90. ... MORE

On Friday, July 29, warm sunshine and clear blue skies greeted more than 200 alumni, family and friends, who traveled from all corners of the state to the historic Saratoga Race Course for the 22nd annual SUNY Empire State College Day at the Races. ... MORE

Student Suzanne Lazar, Professor Karen Garner and Pamela Malone, the college’s director of student accounts and president of the United University Professions chapter, participated in Rock the Vote, a national, nonpartisan voter-registration campaign. ... MORE

Just like eye and hair color, it seems SUNY Empire State College diplomas run in families, too. On Sunday, June 12, at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Travis Brown, 27, who holds an associate degree from the college in Human Development, will receive his bachelor’s degree in the same area. He will join his mother and stepfather, Webster residents Rick and Christina Pearson, to make a family of alumni. ... MORE

In the early ’90s, Mario Salvati,62,a recording engineer/producer with more than 40 years of experience, decided “to ease off the studio life and teach the next generations.” He will receive his Bachelor of Arts in The Arts from SUNY Empire State College as part of the Class of 2016. Joining Salvati at graduation is his daughter, Sarah Harman, 38, a photographer who has completed her Bachelor of Science in Business, Management and Economics at SUNY Empire. ... MORE

It’s been said that adversity is the mother of invention, but it also can be the source of reinvention. Husband and wife Renee and P. Shane McAfee, of Greece, N.Y., will be graduating together in the Class of 2016 from SUNY Empire State College at 2 p.m., Sunday, June 12, at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. ... MORE

As a shift supervisor for a fast-food chain, a chance meeting at the drive-through window brought SUNY Empire State College graduate Sandra Barkevich ’13, ’16 her greatest cheerleader, her husband, Keith, who was a customer that day. She, in turn, encouraged her mother, Migdalia Crego, 63, deputy compact administrator for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, to pursue her own dreams of higher education. ... MORE

Professor of Historical Studis Ian Reifowitz was interviewed on news channel France 24 on Wednesday, May 4. He discussed the state of the presidential race and Donald Trump's new status as the presumptive Republican nominee. ... MORE

On Wednesday, April 27, the Black Male Initiative and Voices Poetry Group, two of SUNY Empire State College’s many alumni/student clubs, co-sponsored "Resurrecting Nat Turner," an overview of the controversial slave revolt led by this enslaved African-American in 1800s. ... MORE

National Poetry Month was recognized by The Long Island Poetic Legacy, an event co-sponsored by SUNY Empire State College’s Alumni Association and the Miller Place-Mt. Sinai Historical Society. ... MORE

More than 600 people attended the 2016 SUNY Empire State College Student Wellness Retreat, an increase of more than 140 percent compared to the 250 who attended the 2013 retreat, the first year it was offered by the college. ... MORE

In a classic exercise of courtesy, professionalism and respect, the members of the New York Police Department’s Transit Bureau Canine Unit met with a group of SUNY Empire State College students and faculty to discuss the unit’s role and responsibilities in keeping the community safe. ... MORE

SUNY Empire State College’s Black Male Initiative (BMI) hosted “An Evening with Yusef Salaam” on March 17 at the Brooklyn location. Salaam was wrongly convicted in what became known as "The Central Park Jogger Case.” ... MORE

“The Unicorn” and “The Brunch Club,” a digital mockumentary starring and co-written, co-produced and co-filmed by SUNY Empire State College student Francesca Cacace, will be screened at 7 p.m., Friday, April 8, at the Cazenovia Public Library, Cazenovia, N.Y. ... MORE

The Susan H. Turben Excellence in Scholarship Faculty Lecture, delivered by Roxana Toma, will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22, 3:30 p.m., in the Saratoga Springs City Center, meeting room 1, and will be streamed live via the Internet at www.esc.edu/esc-tv. ... MORE

In recognition of Black History Month, SUNY Empire State College Education for All (ESCEA), one of the college’s many student/alumni clubs, organized an event, “Getting Serious About Prison Education.” ... MORE

The lecture will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 23, Main Hall, Saratoga City Center, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and will be streamed live via the Internet at www.esc.edu/esc-tv. ... MORE

Twenty-five students, together with faculty and professional staff, gathered in January for SUNY Empire State College’s Student Leadership Institute Winter Retreat at the college’s 2 Union Ave., Saratoga Springs location. ... MORE

Thirty-four people braved the snow and cold winds Tuesday to donate blood at the Dale Association. The drive was sponsored by Melissa Boes as part of the American Red Cross “Leaders Save Lives” scholarship program. ... MORE

Of the five-night run, four shows were sellouts, one was oversold – additional chairs had to be brought in to accommodate the overflow audience – and standing ovations greeted the actors at the conclusion of every performance. ... MORE

SUNY Empire alumni, and students studying art therapy, drawing and painting, showcased the fruits of their labor at an art show opening Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the college’s Teaching Gallery, 111 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, N.Y. ... MORE

Members of the SUNY Empire State College community across the state and around the world are asked to consider participating in Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a national effort that honor’s King’s legacy, by volunteering their time for a good cause on Monday, Jan. 18. ... MORE

Saudia Khan, an apprentice with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 and a student learning at the SUNY Empire State College Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies, has been recognized by The Edward J. Malloy Initiative for Construction Skills for volunteering to inform graduating seniors at her former high school about the initiative. ... MORE